Building stuff together: D.I.Y. with Dad

Thu 1 September 2016

13 mins

With Father’s Day almost upon us, we invited Peter Allen in for a chat to share some of his ideas with us for our #ScreenFreeChallenge! He’s a Bunnings Alexandria team member, father to two girls, and grandfather of four.

His lifelong passion for D.I.Y. was ignited early on: “My Dad could do anything,” says Peter. Since then he’s undertaken many a D.I.Y. project and now helps people do their own.

Peter says any D.I.Y. activity you undertake with your kids needs to be fun, simple and engaging. If the outcome doesn’t looks exactly like it’s supposed to, don’t sweat it. It’s about the time that you spend together and the sense of accomplishment you have after you’ve made something.

These are Peter's ideas for D.I.Y. days with Dad:

No ideas? No worries

If you don’t know where to start or are out of ideas, check out the Bunnings website for D.I.Y. activities for kids and adults. You could build anything from a worm farm, a pebble picture frame, a hanging bird feeder or for the more skilled – even a treehouse.

Have an idea, but don’t know how to make it happen?

Head to your local Bunnings store and have a chat with a team member. They’ll ask you questions about your idea to assess your skill level and help you to find all the parts to realise your project.

Secret tip: Bunnings team members love helping you nut out your ideas with you.

Set a good example

Remember that as a parent or carer you need to lead by example and use the correct safety equipment.

Give it a go

It doesn’t matter if you fail. What’s the worst thing that could happen? If that simple wooden bird feeder ends up hanging side ways, at least you gave it a shot, and if it works out, think about how proud the kids will be for making something.

Peter says this activity is a good starting point to get stuck into building together:

Pebble Picture Frame How-to

This one is suitable for younger and older kids.

What you will need:

Scissors

Glue

Pen

Picture frame

Pebbles

A foam card

Newspaper

Method:

Put glue around the wooden surface of the picture frame and place the pebbles on top and leave them to dry.

While the glue is drying, write your message to Dad on the foam card. This could be something like “Dad rocks” or “Dad rules,” then glue it to the picture frame, and Voila! You have a great Father’s Day gift!

We’d love to see your family DIY creations! Take a pic and upload it with the hashtag #screenfreechallenge #kinderling